The NBA’s New CBA Is Paying Back Flopping Fines, Which Means No More Lawsuit From the Players’ Union2 min read

The NBA’s owners and players agreed to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement over the weekend, and much of the league’s policies remained the same, with a few small exceptions. For one, the league decided that it would pay back half of the flopping fines handed out, and collaborate with the union to decide future fines. In return, the players’ union dropped its Unfair Labor Practices Lawsuit against the league, which was filed back in 2011. This was when the last CBA was being negotiated, and the suit cited that the league was “making harsh, inflexible, and grossly regressive ‘takeaway’ demands that the NBA knows are not acceptable to the Union.”

Now that’s all well and good, but the players dropped this lawsuit for 12 of 24 fines to be paid back? The fines come out to ~$60k, which is basically the equivalent of how many $100 bills Dwyane Wade uses to wipe his ass in a calendar year. But LeBron James and Chris Paul being the heads of the players’ union makes this a very interesting coincidence, considering that LeBron and CP3 have been known to embellish contact from time to time.

Another intriguing rule change is with the “Over 36” rule, which was added to the last CBA to prevent franchises from inking older players to extended contracts they would never play until the end of, in order to make it less financially burdensome for teams to sign these players. For the new agreement, the rule has been changed to “Over 38”, which is funny when you consider that this will allow LeBron and CP3 to get one final massive contract before they hang it up. Call LeBron what you want, but this guy has always been about his business, and this is one more financially savvy move that LeBron can boast on his way to becoming a billionaire.

Honestly though, both sides should be applauded for hammering out a deal on time, and avoiding another lockout. The league is in the best place its been in a very long time, and neither side wanted to stop the positive momentum. The NBA is swimming in money right now, so it looks as if both the owners and the players are happy with this agreement. Adam Silver may look like a worm but he is the Anti-Roger Goodell.